In the business of helping (30 April 2005)

This spring, there is again an air of prosperity about Hong Kong. Our economy is on the rebound, property prices are recovering and, everywhere you look, there are signs that the city is enjoying better times.

We have emerged from a turbulent period, however, and the recovery has come at a price. It is too easy in these times of new optimism to forget those who have been left floundering on the sidelines.

The downturn has left us with a lasting legacy of unemployment. It climbed to almost 9 per cent in the slump and, even now, it remains stubbornly fixed at about 6 per cent of the working population.

The structure of our economy has been permanently altered and unemployment, it seems, is here to stay. It is our responsibility to do everything in our power to help as many as possible of those out of a job and seeking work to get back into the labour market.

The Liberal Party is extremely concerned about the disadvantaged in our society. At the same time, we do not believe handouts from the government alone are the answer to poverty. Giving people money for nothing can make the giver feel better, but it is not a long-term solution. Handouts do nothing to get the unemployed back into the workplace. They do nothing to restore their dignity. They do nothing to help them achieve the satisfaction they so often seek of being a useful member of society. The best way to combat poverty and unemployment, we believe, is to take advantage of our improving economy, to make sure we sustain the recovery and to help in a positive and practical way those looking for work and opportunity.

The first job has been to make sure our economy as a whole is back on the right track. The signs are encouraging.

Now, together with the business sector, we have adopted a three-point approach to promote a more caring society. We believe it offers concrete, targeted assistance to the unemployed and underprivileged. It is a plan for long-term support, not short-term platitudes.

The first step the Liberal Party took was to set up a Poverty Fund, for which we have already raised about $10 million. The idea is to provide material help for people in need who cannot receive Comprehensive Social Security Assistance payments, and that help comes in the form of tuition fees, computers, training subsidies or assistance for the elderly. We are working on the details of how people can apply for this fund and how it will be distributed, and we will soon set up a vetting committee to examine applications.

Our second step is to lend the Liberal Party's support to proposals by the Federation of Hong Kong Industries for private companies to join a mentor scheme that will give youngsters from poor families a first step on the career ladder.

After a fixed mentorship period, during which youngsters will be given training, counselling and support, they will have become skilled workers with marketable abilities. They will be in a stronger position to negotiate a mutually beneficial future with the company that trains them.

Our third step is to launch a scheme for businesses to adopt underprivileged families. Under this proposal, companies can build a bridge to the world outside the office by adopting a family, taking an interest and being involved in that family's welfare and progress.

We would like to see businesses lending a helping hand to children from these underprivileged families, with, for example, music lessons or even days at the beach.

This scheme will do more than just help the families involved. Its greater benefit may be to give our businesses a window out onto the wider community they serve.

As Hong Kong returns to brighter economic climes, it is important to remember that the primary concern of a caring society is not the scale of its profits but the quality of its humanity.